Joy amid the sorrow: Babies’ first birthdays muted for Ukrainian parents

Instead of quiet first moments between mother and newborn, Anastasiia and Roman spent their early time together in the maternity hospital bomb shelter, as air raid sirens howled and missiles struck across Ukraine

Anastasiia Morhun, 29, with her one-year-old son Roman, born on February 24, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine (Hanna Arhirova/AP/PA)

Anastasiia Morhun knew having a baby would change her life but there was no way to be ready for the war that Russia unleashed against her country on the day she gave birth to Roman.

“In one moment, everything was ruined,” Anastasiia said.